Easy veggie meal ideas

[Squishedpickle]

Hi all,

Please could you tell me what your favourite easy vegetarian meal is? I'm starting out as a new vegetarian looking for some ideas of pretty easy but delicious ideas. I sadly do not like tofu.

Thanks!

Vegetable tagine
Harissa roasted aubergine with cous cous and feta
Hasselback squash
Miso glazed aubergine
Egg fried rice with lots of veg
Yaki soba with lots of veg
Lentil ragu
Various types of risotto (eg. butternut squash and feta, pea, mushroom and leek)

If you want me to post any of the recipes let me know!

What did you eat before?

I make loads of curries, chillis and pasta dishes just replacing the meat with various vegetables, lentils etc.

The easiest thing in the world to make (in my opinion) is chilla - an Indian pancake alternative made from soaked split lentils. You basically soak a cup of split lentils over night - moong dal or urad dal are particularly easy and cheap - and then grind them to a paste in the morning. Add salt, and whatever seasonings / spices / fruit / veg you want, and then cook it like a pancake. I prefer them thin and crepey like dosas but they work well with sweet fillings too.

Another easy option is butter paneer (or egg or cashew). All you do is grind the veg and spices after sauteeing them and then add the paneer / boiled egg / cashews. It’s such a luxurious dish in the winter.

My favourite veggie meal is super quick and easy! Shop bought falafel heated. Fry hallumi slices. Chopped fresh coriander and diced red onion. Loads of mayo and chilli sauce. Put it all in a tortilla wrap. I have it with quinoa or whole grain rice and salad.

Other things we like (I know they’re not very adventurous, just quick mid week meals!)

veggie lasagne, salad and garlic bread.
Veggie sausage toad in the hole
Veggie burgers in brioche buns with sweet potato wedges and salad
Matter paneer curry

I find the easiest veggie thing to cook is a curry. I always have a good selection of frozen veg - spinach, butternut squash, sweet potatoes etc, frozen chillies/ginger/garlic- chickpeas, curry paste etc in. So easy and even better the next day!

Yum! Thank you!

@whatsbinhappnin lots of delicious sounding meals, please could I have the recipe for veggie tagine, aubergine things and the hasselback squash? Thank you

@PurpleDaises I've been stuck in a food rut for a while anyway so looking to expand my food horizons. My husband was always the cook and he was very much a meat and two veg man so looking to move away from that completely!

@MrsBungle Your falafel wrap sounds ace, what a lovely quick and easy idea, thanks

@GrumpyHoonMain that sounds delicious too, thanks!

@frustrationcentral I've always found frozen veg quite watery, do you find that? Maybe it's just the brands I've tried before

Oven chips and Linda McCartney's Veggie Linconshire Sausages, you could even bung in some marrow fat peas!

[quote Squishedpickle]@frustrationcentral I've always found frozen veg quite watery, do you find that? Maybe it's just the brands I've tried before[/quote]
They can be but I find it's not noticeable in a curry/pasta sauce

Frittata filled with potatoes and a selection of courgette/peas/broccoli etc.
Risotto, asparagus and pea is my favourite.

Aubergine parmigiana served with rice.

Bean & vegetable casserole, served with cous-cous or rice.

Cous-cous with roasted vegetables and cheese, especially feta works well for this.

Our midweek veggie winter meals (have to be 4 year old friendly too so pretty simple)
Veg stir fry
Roast veg, cous cous & halloumi
Veg chilli with pot wedges or rice
Lentil Bolognese
Lentil Sheppard's pie
Dhal with easy flat breads
Roasted root veg
Veg & bean stew with (veggie suet) dumplings
Egg fried veggie rice
Jack monroes chickpea & peach curry is gorgeous as is her come to bed parmigiana (basically a rich aubergine pasta sauce)

Lasagne/ bolognaise made with veggie mince (and peppers and courgettes)

Similar tomatoes thing with veg sausage and butter/ canellini beans to go with gnocci

Getting the kids to eat korma with quorn pieces (pepper n courgette n onion) and chick peas plus rice n naan n yoghurt

Fake chicken pie. Filling with Quorn pieces, onion,potatoes, carrots Thickened with red lentils (add stock cube)

Red lentil and carrot soup - fry/ sweat onion garlic (optional celery) chopped carrot to soften, add hot Water and stock cube and red lentils. Cook til lentils mush then blend. Eat with buttered sour dough or tiger bread.

Pasta e ceci
Curried lentil soup with coconut milk (recipe from Ottolenghi Simple)
Aubergine parmigiana
Egg fried rice with stir/fried veg and a good drizzle of Sriracha
Macaroni cheese
Cous cous
Pasta alla Norma

Anything out of www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1910931896?tag=mumsnetforu03-21 , everything I've made out of it has been excellent.

Peppers, onions, garlic, fried. Add smoked paprika, a pinch of chilli, tin of tomatoes, tin of mixed beans, handful of basmati rice and enough veggie stock to cook rice through. Serve in wraps with grated cheese.

Have a look at the BBC Good Food site - hundreds of tried and tested veggie recipes. Meals we've had over the last couple of weeks...

Veggie Thai Curry
Bean stew with halloumi
Slow cooker veggie sausage casserole
Veggie fajitas
Bean chilli
Vegetable calzone
Pasta with roasted veg
Courgette pasta
Indian chickpeas with baked eggs

Very easy meals:
Roast veg (red pepper & onion, could add courgette) and pasta. Plus black pepper, loads of Parmesan.
Pasta with sun dried tomatoes, sliced black olives, garlic, a pinch of chilli and lots of olive oil. Topped with chopped parsley.
Rice with fried pine nuts, feta, peas and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Top with fresh mint.
Tomato and lentil soup: fry cumin seeds, add a chopped onion and fry, then a can of tomatoes, 150g red lentils, water and stock cube. Garlic and smoked paprika optional. For a family of 4 as lunch with bread.
Slightly more complicated but not much: spinach and feta pie - for 2 adults, 2 kids. Ready rolled puff pastry - pre bake a square, fry pine nuts, garlic, add 200g chopped spinach and a pack of feta, chopped. Spread out on the square and cut the remaining pastry into 4 strips, then into 8 shorter ones. With a bit of stretching you can lay 4 across the pie and 4 round the edge. Back in the oven, serve with potatoes.

Hard-boiled eggs (with or without home-made mayonnaise), steamed spinach and mashed potatoes with a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is a favourite here.
Cooking can be one pot if you have a steamer.

Old El Paso fajita kit with halloumi and portobello mushroom instead of chicken

Mushroom stroganoff, absolute heaven

Veggie Bolognese sauce (with courgetti as I can’t tolerate pasta 😭)

Any amazing salad

Quorn nuggets, waffles and veg 🤣

BBC good food has a sweet potato and spinach Dahl which is really quick and easy

Homemade pizza is always good

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

Leek pea and lemon risotto

Mexican bean burritos

Oh I forgot a lot of other good ones as I automatically choose low carb recipes.

Carbier:

Sweet potato, chickpea, coconut curry
Nut roast
Mushroom Wellington
Veggie Pad Thai

Wow, loads of brilliant ideas to work through! Thanks

If you recently ate meat you might enjoy some of the swaps –Plant Pioneers burgers are amazing (my beef-loving partner said they were almost suspiciously meaty), Shroomdog sausages and 'meat'balls.

I'm not a huge fan of meat subs but they're good for a lazy swap, so you can still have sausages and mash etc. Aside from that, we have:

• curries (chana masala, dals, veg curries with yoghurt and sides)
• burrito bowls (refried beans, rice, mexican-spiced veg, avocado/guac, cheese)
• Greek beans, lemon roasties, salad and feta
• Aubergine caponata
• Veggie lasagna
• Rotisserie mushrooms
• Lentil bolognese

And, the recipe I'm forever recommending on here, the BBC burnt aubergine chilli www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/burnt-aubergine-veggie-chilli

The easiest meals are things you buy in the supermarket - ready made quiches, tarts, pizzas, pies, all come in easy veggie/vegan versions, probably not quite as good value or as healthy as things you cook yourself but v. good on lazy days! Or with a little more effort but still some 'cheating', things like a ready made tomato pasta sauce with some roast veg and cheese, or a partially-home made pizza or tart, where you buy a ready made pizza base or jus-roll puff pastry, and top with your favourite toppings are great and super easy and quick.

In the last 10 years, meat substitutes have also improved beyond all recognition in terms of taste and availability so do explore the world of veggie sausages, burgers, 'chicken' substitutes, quorn/soy mince etc as well - use these just as you would the meaty equivalent. I also like ready-made falafels in a wrap or with some bulgar wheat or rice for a quick and easy meal (yes I know it isn't very hard to make your own falafel but the ready made kind are very good and a lot quicker than getting out the chickpeas, blender and frying pan to DIY).

On days you are up for more cooking, soups, chillis, curries, tagines and stews made with beans and pulses are really healthy, cheap and delicious, and you can make up a big batch and freeze portions for later, they will only improve - good suggestions on this thread or look at BBC good food. Lots of mediterreanean type dishes (risottos, pasta dishes, paella, minestrone) also don't require meat, anything which was historically peasant food can quite often have the meat left out or substituted with grains/pulses....